Supreme Court-appointed committee visits Uttara Kannada to assess forest, environmental concerns

Karwar: The Central Empowered Committee (CEC), constituted by the Supreme Court to examine issues related to forest and environmental conservation in the Western Ghats, visited various parts of Karnataka between June 1 and June 4 to assess the ground situation.

As part of the visit, the committee toured Chikkamagaluru, Shivamogga and Uttara Kannada districts on June 2 and 3. The team held discussions with officials from the forest and revenue departments, environmental experts and representatives of various organisations. It also visited the Sharavathi and Gersoppa valley regions.

A special meeting was held in Sirsi between the CEC team, led by Dr. Sunil Limaye, and representatives of the Bedthi-Aghanashini Basin Conservation Committee and the Vrikshalaksha Movement. Chief Conservator of Forests Hiralal and Deputy Conservator of Forests Suryavanshi were also present.

During the meeting, environmental activist Anant Hegde Ashisar welcomed the committee’s visit, noting that it was the first time the Supreme Court-linked CEC had visited Sirsi to directly interact with environmental experts and activists. A detailed memorandum on the conservation of the Bedthi-Aghanashini and Sharavathi valleys was submitted to the committee.

Scientist Dr. Keshav Korse briefed the team on issues relating to water resources, forests and the livelihood conditions of farmers in the Bedthi, Aghanashini and Sharavathi valley regions. Reports concerning environmental laws, forest conservation and the possible impact of various development projects were also submitted to the committee.

Addressing the gathering, CEC Chairman Dr. Sunil Limaye said public involvement and pressure play an important role in environmental conservation efforts.

He also recalled the contributions of environmentalist Dr. Madhav Gadgil and praised the public movements that campaigned for the declaration of the Bedthi-Aghanashini and Shalmala regions as protected wildlife areas.

“We have been hearing about the Bedthi-Aghanashini people's movement for many years. It is a matter of satisfaction to visit the region and understand it directly,” Dr. Limaye said.

He further informed participants that members of the public can directly submit complaints and representations to the Central Empowered Committee.

At the end of the meeting, representatives of the Bedthi-Aghanashini Conservation Committee presented a memento to the CEC team.